What is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an infectious disease that causes inflammation of the liver. It is very common in our communities. The awareness of this disease is very low among our people. Hepatitis kills more people more than the dreaded HIV/AIDS. World Health Organisation (WHO) dedicated May 8 of every year as Hepatitis Day. This is to create awareness for the people to know the danger of the disease.
What causes Hepatitis?
Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver that results from a variety of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Virus is the most common infectious causative agent among other factors such as drugs, toxic agents from traditional herbs, and alcohol.
In some instances, most cases of hepatitis are caused by viral infection. Other viruses that can give cytomegalovirus, yellow fever, Epstein Barr virus, herpes simplex and measles virus. Others are mump and chicken pox.
There are several known hepatitis viruses, but the most important are viral hepatitis A, B, C and D.
Mode of Infection
Hepatitis A is the most common worldwide. The virus spreads easily in an overcrowded and poor sanitation. The incubation period of this virus is usually between 15 and 45 days after exposure to the virus. Some patients exhibit no clinic manifestations. It is transmitted through the injection of contaminated food, water and feco-oral route.
Hepatitis B, C and D viruses are transmitted mainly by blood or bodily fluids, sexual contact or exposure to contaminated blood. Hepatitis B is also called Serum hepatitis, and is more severe and longer lasting than hepatitis A. The incubation period for hepatitis B virus is about 40 days to 6 months. It may occur as acute disease or in about 5 -10% of cases, the illness may become chronic and lead to permanent liver damage.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was isolated in 1981. Symptoms usually appear within six to nine weeks after exposure. HCV appears to be transmitted in a manner similar to HBV. Hepatitis C has a greater propensity to hepatitis B to develop into chronic liver disease. Alcoholic who are infected with hepatitis C are more prone to develop cirrhosis.
What are the clinical Symptoms?
Hepatitis can present as an acute or chronic and can be mild, moderate and severe. The signs and symptoms of acute hepatitis resulting in damage to the liver tissues in patients may present as a flu-like illness and general symptoms include nauseas, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and fatigue, anorexia and less common rash or joint pain.
Some time they will present with discoloration (bluish) of the skin and eyes. The acute symptomatic phases of viral hepatitis usually last from a few days to several weeks. Complication of acute viral hepatitis includes fulminant hepatitis which is a very severe rapidly developing form of the diseases may result in severe liver failure. Such individual rapidly become comatose and the death rate is as high as 90 percent.
Risk Factors
The following individuals are prone to contracting the disease:
- Intravenous drugs users
- Multiple sexual partners
- Sexual partners of individuals with the disease
- Health care workers
- Recipients of organ transplants
- Blood transfusion
Bed rest is the simplest mode of treatment because hepatitis takes a natural cause. Treatment is symptomatic. Immunization with passive immunoglobulin to all health care workers is very important measure in controlling the diseases. Drugs such as lamidivine can be used to reduce the progress of the infection.
Prevention
- Avoid overcrowding and unhygienic environment.
- Avoid indiscriminate blood transfusion.
- Avoid multiple sex partners.
- Massive immunization of individual at risk.
- Laboratory test for hepatitis surface antigens can help for early detection of people at risk.
Dr. Eru Ukonu Emmanuel was a Guest Columnist on Health in the defunct: The Congress Magazine. This article was published in the July 3, 2009 edition of the Magazine.
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